White Bean and Sausage Soup

Tender white beans cooked with mild Italian sausage and carrots with a secret ingredient that takes any soup or stew to a new level.

Why We Love This Soup

We are big soup lovers at our house and this white bean and sausage soup does not disappoint. Mild white beans with savory sausage taste like a warm hug with every bite. This soup is the perfect meal for any fall or winter night. Comfort food at its best.

Ingredients

White Beans – I prefer to use small white beans or cannellini beans for this recipe. White northern beans can also be used.

Italian Sausage – I use mild Italian sausage. If you want more heat, you can substitute with hot Italian sausage

Secret Ingredient – Parmesan cheese rind – I prefer to buy my cheese in blogs, rather than pre-shredded or grated. I recommend cutting off the rinds from cheese like parmesan, gruyere, and other hard cheeses and storing them in labeled zip-top bags in the freezer. They give soups and stews amazingly deep flavors that taste like they’ve been simmering for hours.

Let’s Make White Bean and Sausage Soup

1. Dice the onions and carrots and set them aside.
2. Brown the sausage in a stove-top soup pot.
3. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess grease.
4. Pour or spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of the sausage grease from the soup pot.
5. Add the onions and carrots to the soup pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add the chicken broth, scraping the dark bits off the bottom of the pot (This is called deglazing).
7. Rinse the beans in cool water until all of the bean liquid turns clear.
8. Remove 1/2 cup of the beans, place them in a bowl and mash them with a fork until you have a paste.
9. Add the bean paste and the beans to the soup pot.
10. Add the parmesan cheese rind and fresh herbs.
11. Bring the soup to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce it to a simmer (uncovered) for 25-30 minutes.
12. Before serving, remove the fresh herb stems and parmesan rind.
13. Mash the soup 2-3 times with the back of the soup ladle.
14. Stir and serve.

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips

• I do not recommend adding any additional salt to this recipe. The parmesan cheese rind gives it all the saltiness it needs.
• If you don’t have a slice of parmesan cheese rind, substitute with 1 tbsp of finely grated parmesan cheese.
• Secret Ingredient – Parmesan cheese rind – I prefer to buy my cheese in blogs, rather than pre-shredded or grated. I recommend cutting off the rinds from cheese like parmesan, gruyere, and other hard cheeses and storing them in labeled zip-top bags in the freezer. They give soups and stews amazingly deep flavors that taste like they’ve been simmering for hours.
• Be sure to simmer the soup for the full 20-30 minutes and smash the beans with the back of the soup ladle before serving. The smashed beans add an extra creaminess without adding any dairy.
• Make this soup a meal by serving it with a loaf of crusty bread and sliced apples and pears.

More KKM Bean Soup Recipes

• Tuscan Bean Soup
• Black Bean Soup
• Tomatoe Bean Soup with Italian Sausage
• Cajun Red Beans and Rice